The Hitchhiker's cliff notes to a neuroscience career

Source

Both my wife and I are on a galaxy wide trek in attempt to find our path in the neuroscience academic field. While unfortunately our treks have taken us to different zip codes for another year, Neuron published a guide in a recent NeuroView to help us make sure that we're on the correct path. Interestingly, since "throngs" of scientists and aspiring scientists enter the field each year with no less that 1.7 million individual scientists worldwide actively publishing on the brain and behavior since 1996, as the authors state, "not all of these young researchers can make an academic career in neuroscience."

The authors discuss instruments and initiatives that they feel can help people (with a focus on European researchers) progress through early- and mid-career steps:

1. Mobility
2. Networking
3. Build a CV and Seek Advice
4. Enjoy Neuroscience and Engage the Next Generation

The authors are describing a career trajectory towards running your own research lab at a research university, which is important to keep in mind as I revise their suggestions:

1. Publish early, publish often, publish in "glamour" journal
2. Repeat

If you want a research career in neuroscience you need to start publishing in undergraduate with at least a first author publication from your senior thesis. You then likely need to get a "glamour" first author publication in your masters or first year of PhD so that in your second year you can obtain fellowship funding (e.g. NSF, NIH, CIHR/NSERC) from a national funding source. Then through the rest of your PhD you need to publish first author "glamour" articles and use your "networking" and "mobility" and collaboration to beef up your CV with co-authorships in specialized and field-specific journals. With over 10 publications in your PhD you can then find a post-doc and maybe even bring independent post-doctoral funding with you where ever you go (remember mobility means you get to go where ever). More "glamour" first author pubs and at least 20 author publications before you're ready to go on the market, you better make sure that you were PI or co-PI on a medium or large grant before attempting to apply for jobs.

I think any good travel guide not only includes the things you should do, but also the things that you should avoid, the "tourist traps" if you well. So I''d like to hear or see the things that young scientists should not do if they want to find a career in academia. I'd also like to see a guide that goes beyond the research lab PI role to encompass other paths in academia.